Gone For Good
by dreamer.dancer.writer
Summary: Nick saved Jeff that day. But when distaster strikes one sunny day, what will happen to the both of them?


**A/N: Niff. Sad Niff. Angsty Niff. That is all. Enjoy.**

* * *

Jeff strolled down the pavement, smiling happily to himself. He was content with life for the first time in a very long while. The sun was shining, the birds were singing in the trees and Jeff was arm in arm with his beautiful boyfriend. His boyfriend. For such a long time he'd had longed to be able to say those words about a boy, any boy. But he knew what would happen if he came out and for a long while he hadn't. He'd pretended and it had killed him. But then when he did come out, everyone had reacted in the way he'd expected. He'd wanted to take the words back, to never have come out of the proverbial closet but he did. And he was glad he did, it was a weight off of his shoulders. And he'd got Nick.

Jeff smiled again, casting his mind back to when he'd met the boy shortly to become his everything.

* * *

It was a few weeks after Jeff had told all his so called 'friends' and family he was gay. Since then, his family had ignored him and his 'friends' had turned their backs on him and joined in with the bullying that had been going on for ever since he cared to remember. It was hard and it was wearing the blonde down.

Words which hadn't bothered him when he still had friends were cutting deeper and were more painful than before, especially when they came out of the mouths of the one's he used to trust. It was just words as well, no actions or anything else that might condemn them and convict them. The blonde had tried telling the senior management and governors at school, as well as his parents but they'd all laughed it off and said he was over reacting, nothing was going on. These guys were his friends after all. He gave up after that. Those people weren't his friends, not any more.

Jeff didn't understand it though. When they'd been friends, they'd always said they'd be there for each other, no matter what. He'd had trusted this when he'd told them he was gay. Yet they'd all conveniently forgotten what they'd expressed almost every day and now they wanted nothing to do with Jeff. They wouldn't even ignore him either, no they had to join in with the taunts he'd always been faced with. The dancer had always been bullied, ever since his first day of pre-school. It wasn't his fault, he was just always different to the other boys with his slight frame, fragile features, white blonde locks, glasses and love of dance and musical theatre. He used to be able to shrug it off though. When he had friends and they didn't know they were right when they called him degrading names such as faggot.

It was getting to Jeff now. For the past few weeks he hadn't eaten properly and was now even skinnier than he used to be, his bones sticking out prominently. He gazed down at his thin wrist, the scarlet blood dripping from the numerous cuts down his porcelain skin. He didn't want to cut, but he needed to. It was the only thing other than his eating he had any control over. Cutting made him feel better. It didn't even hurt anymore.

Jeff sighed. This was stupid. Life meant nothing to him anymore. He had no friends, his family no longer cared and not even cutting himself hurt. He wanted to feel again, but at the same time he just wanted to slip into a deep nothingness that would never end. Slowly, as though in a deep trance he stood up, his attention being vaguely caught by the vivid red against his pale white skin. Shaking his head he moved dream like through the room, down the stairs and out the door. He drifted along like this for a while, not thinking, not knowing where he was going, ignoring the worried glances of passersby. Eventually, after what felt like years but also no time at all, Jeff was stood on a bridge. He sighed a deep sigh of relief as he realized what he had to do.

Slowly, carefully, he stepped up onto the side of the bridge, holding onto one of the concrete posts securing it to the ground. He gazed down steadily at the rushing waters below. He wasn't scared. He contemplated how easy it would be just to take a step off of the bridge and fall into that churning blackness. It would make it easier for everyone. His friends wouldn't care anyway and his family wouldn't have to be ashamed of their gay son anymore. Little did Jeff know his knight in black skinny jeans was coming to save him.

Nick was walking home along the bridge. He usually wasn't out this late, but he'd had to stay behind after school to finish off some science coursework. Urgh. Coursework was the bane of his life and he hated it. Luckily, this was his last piece.

The brunette was so lost in his thoughts of school, his friends and what he'd when he got home that he didn't notice the figure on the bridge until he was right beside it. When he did catch sight of it, his breath hitched in his throat. This couldn't be good. Nick hurried forwards until he was right next to the figure. He could see it was a boy now. A skinny boy, dressed in over large clothes with his sleeves rolled up, revealing blood stained arms. His blonde hair was flying in the wind and he was gazing down at the water below with such a peaceful expression on his face. Nick knew it couldn't be good. He had to proceed carefully and get this boy down before it was too late. He took a deep breath. He'd never been so terrified in his life.

"Excuse me" Nick called softly, scared he'd frighten the boy and make him fall off of the bridge. The boy's head whipped round at the sound of Nick's voice. The brunette's breath caught in his throat again. This boy was beautiful. He'd had never seen someone so perfect and he knew right there, that he had to help this boy down and get to know him.

"What?" the boy called shrilly. Nick coughed and spoke again.

"C'mon. Come down from there. I promise I'll help you, take you home, whatever just come down from there. There's got to be something good in your life that makes it worth living. Come down from there and I'll show you how good life can be. Please, just don't jump" Nick was floundering; he didn't know what to say to make the boy get down. Luckily, it seemed to be working. He extended a hand to the boy and the blonde hesitantly took it, climbing down from the parapet.

"I'm Nick" he smiled, hoping this boy would want to get to know him.

"Jeff" the blonde whispered brokenly.

"C'mon. Let me take you home" Nick said and was shocked when the boy -Jeff –visibly flinched at these words. He gazed at the boy and found his arms covered in fresh red blood oozing from numerous cuts. They were obviously self inflicted. Nick felt his heart start to break the sight of the boy and knew that he'd do anything, anything to make this angel better again.

"No, I can't go back there. You don't understand, they don't care. They hate me" Jeff cried, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Come back to my house then" Nick had told him simply.

* * *

Jeff chuckled, a bubble of laughter that rose up through him and filtered through his lips. Nick smiled and looked over at his boyfriend.

"What's so funny Six?" he asked.

"I'm just so glad you saved me Three" Jeff told him, snuggling further under his arm. The brunette nearly felt his heart break with happiness. He had saved the other boy, ever since that day when he'd taken him back to his house. Nick's family had adopted Jeff as their second son once he'd had explained the whole story. Jeff even transferred to Nick's school and made a whole new set of friends who accepted him for who he was, and accepted their relationship. He hadn't seen his old family and friends in over a year, and quite frankly didn't ever want to see them again. Nick placed a chaste kiss on the top of Jeff's head.

"I'm glad I saved you. You're so brave Jeffy, and so beautiful. I love you" Jeff smiled happily at his boyfriends words.

"I lov-" the blonde's words were cut off by the sound of a gunshot wrenching apart the still summers air. A bloodcurdling scream followed. Nick froze in shock when he realized it came from Jeff. The younger boy's body fell limp in his arms.

Nick started to cry as he realized what had happened. He slowly laid Jeff's slight frame on the ground and carefully, frantically tore the already bloodstained t-shirt off as he looked for the bullet wound. Spotting it, he tried to apply as much pressure as possible with one hand whilst fumbling in his pocket with the other, trying to find his phone. Once found, he placed an emergency call, begging for an ambulance. When he was done with that he collapsed over Jeff's barely breathing body.

"Please stay with me. Don't leave me. I don't know what I'll do if you die. Jeffy, stay awake. DON'T LEAVE ME" Nick pleaded and shouted, slapping his boyfriends face in an attempt to keep him awake.

"Nicky" Jeffs voice was weak, but it was there. Nick sat back slightly and stared at the pale boy, tears making their tracks down his face.

"Jeff, please"

"I'm sorry" Suddenly Nick felt a shadow fall over them. He gazed up and met the eyes of a bigger man stood above them, still wielding the gun.

"Fags" the man spat. Jeff sat frozen in shock. This was the man who shot his soulmate, just for liking the same gender. He wanted to rip the man into little pieces, but couldn't move. "People like you shouldn't be allowed on the streets. You're monsters, abominations. Society shouldn't have to deal with you" the man finished his cruel speech by spitting on the two boys and then he ran. Nick watched his retreating back before Jeff's voice tore his gaze away.

"Nicky, please. Let me go. I love you, but I have to go. I'll never forget you" Jeff's weak speech tore his boyfriends already broken heart into even more little pieces.

"I can't" Nick sobbed, his tears falling onto the pale boys cheeks and mingling with Jeff's tears. "It's selfish but I don't want to let you go. I know you're in pain, but you can't leave. You're my everything, what will I do without you?" he asked helplessly. The blonde slowly, painfully reached an arm up and stroked Nick's cheek.

"You're amazing" he said quietly. "You saved me when I had no one and nothing. I was ready to end it all then, leave the world. But you came along. I'll never forget that look on your face when I first turned around. You're the most fantastic person on earth, and so brave and strong. I don't want to leave. But it hurts so much. Please, let me go. I know you'll be able to move on, you're strong. Don't forget about me, but don't let me hold you back. Go out there Nick become the amazing person I know you will. Don't be afraid to fall in love either."

"Please Jeffy" Nick sobbed brokenly.

"I'm sorry. But I have to go" Nick nodded.

"I understand. I'll never forget you. You're an angel to me, I've thought that ever since I saw you on the bridge. I'll never understand why your family and friends left such an amazing person. I love you. But I'll let you go now" Nick held Jeff close one last time and kissed him on the lips, reveling in that taste that was simply Jeff, enjoying it for the last time. He deepened the kiss and then pulled back, staring into the depths of his boyfriends eyes.

"Thank you Nicky" Jeff whispered.

"S'okay. Don't worry. You can leave now. You'll be out of pain soon"

"I'm so scared. I don't want to die Nick. We're still so young" Jeff suddenly cried. Nick could feel the younger boys terror, so different to his earlier bravery.

"I know. But you're gonna be in a better place soon. Just let go" Nick could feel the love of his life slip further and further away. He soothed him further. "That's it, just let go"

"I love you Nick" Jeff whispered one last time, before he inhaled his last breath.

"I love you too Jeffrey Sterling, and I always will" and with that, Jeff slipped away forever.

Nick placed one last kiss on the still boys lips. He laid him carefully on the ground and then let go.

He sobbed and sobbed, collapsed over Jeff's body. He was screaming. The beautiful summers day no longer looked the same. He hated the sun, hated how it was still shining so happily when the reason for his being, his soulmate, the person he loved like no other had been viciously torn away from him by an ignorant, prejudiced man with a gun.

Sirens tore the air apart as they screeched up to the scene, but Nick no longer cared. They were too late, Jeff had already gone. The brunette felt himself getting taken away from his boyfriend, but he kicked and screamed and fought. He didn't want to leave Jeff. He'd promised he'd be there for him, and he couldn't leave now. He heard them plead for him to step away so they could take care of Jeff but he ignored them. They were too late.

He was gone and the world was a black place.


End file.
